Slayers (Jake Hawkins Book 1) (43 page)

Archfiend laughed cruelly.
“
Mmm, I see
‘
Wolfe
’
decided to take off his mask. A little elaborate, don
’
t you agree? I must say, I had great plans for the Amazon before you ruined it. I was going to kill you in front of him.
”

“
You didn
’
t. You failed there, and now you failed here. Look around, Archfiend. It
’
s over!
”

Archfiend shrugged. It honestly seemed like he couldn
’
t care less.
“
Maybe so. But you won
’
t be alive to savour your victory.
”

Jake said nothing.

“
And after I finish you off,
”
Archfiend said,
“
I
’
ll go back for your dad and your girlfriend. You might have saved the city. But you won
’
t save your family, kid.
”

Jake charged.

They clashed together amidst the wasteland, with chunks of metal scattered all around and the smouldering fuselage of the plane lying off to the side, burnt to nothing more than a blackened shell. Jake was bleeding from the nose, and the side of his face, and aching all over. His clothes were a tattered, muddy mess. But he was far from done.

Archfiend had been ready for the onrush. As Jake burst forward, he reached behind and came up with a blunt, twisted piece of steel, the size of a two by four. He swung it double-handed in a scything arc. Jake hadn
’
t been expecting the sudden move. The steel whistled through the air faster than he could react, dipped under his arms and hit him in the sternum. It felt like a direct impact with a charging bull. He
felt
one of his ribs shatter. An incredible pain. He yelled out and doubled over, clutching his side.

Archfiend did not hesitate; he wound up and let go with another huge swing of the club. Jake, hunched over, saw the steel through his agony. It was on a collision course with his temple. He could move, or he could die.

He chose to move.

The pain in his ribs threatened to break him, but he ignored it and jerked back, just in time. The steel whipped through the air centimetres in front of his face. With nothing to halt the baseball-like swing, Archfiend overbalanced. The momentum sent him stumbling off a step.

Jake accepted the fact that whatever he chose to do next would sent a crippling bolt of pain through his ribs. He push-kicked Archfiend in the chest. The power behind the kick was phenomenal, perfectly placed. Two hundred kilograms of force transferred to Archfiend
’
s solar plexus and sent him flying back. Jake didn
’
t know if slayers could get winded, but the same strike would have shattered a man
’
s sternum.

Archfiend stumbled back and released the twisted steel, taken by surprise. The makeshift club spun once, and then Jake reached out and plucked it straight out of the air. Now, he was armed.

In a life or death situation, one finds out what they are made of.

Jake found he was powerful.

He brought the club round like a batter lining up to hit a ball out of the park, then swung it like a dart. His arm muscles spasmed from the force of the swing, then jerked as the end smashed Archfiend full in the face. The
clang
echoed across the crater, falling against a thousand dead ears.

Archfiend was staggering like a drunk. The blow had done its job. His eyes were wide and unfocused, struggling to concentrate. Jake advanced on him. He pounced.

It was in desperation but it was accurate, and Jake ducked away, but he was nowhere near in time, for Archfiend slammed into him and pinned him to the ground.

A pang of genuine terror seized him. He was helplessly trapped. Archfiend was resting on both his arms. He stabbed down. Jake saw the claws coming for him like a death sentence, and he knew they were what would finally finish him off. He had come this far, and he had failed.

“
You
’
re dead now,
”
Archfiend hissed.

No. I haven
’
t done all this for nothing.

Jake snapped his head sideways, just as the claws came within range. All five scraped the side of his face, cutting deep, drawing blood. But they were all glancing blows. None had sunk in. He was still breathing
–
barely
–
but he was alive.

Feeling the blood start to pool on the ground next to his head, Jake roared with exertion and heaved. One of his shoulders came up off the dirt, spilling Archfiend away. He leapt to his feet.

His ribs were screaming and his left cheek was saturated with blood and his head throbbed viciously. He put his foot down but suddenly the ground wasn
’
t there and he staggered a few steps.

“
I can see it,
”
Archfiend taunted.
“
You
’
re losing it. Big strong Jakey boy, about to pass out. Let it happen.
”

“
Piss off.
”

Archfiend had missed the opportunity to kill him, multiple times. That was all that mattered. Jake was not going to let it happen again. He was angry enough to ignore his injuries and charge once more.

The beast saw him coming; Archfiend slashed out with both hands, but it was clear that he was moving much slower. With a start of surprise, Jake noticed the right side of his skull was partially caved in. It had been dented by the piece of steel.

He ducked under the claws, running on empty, each movement taking a heavier toll than the last. He took two huge steps, one diagonally to the left and one diagonally to the right. Now he had cut around behind Archfiend, who was late to respond.

Jake kicked his legs out from under him.

As Archfiend fell, he caught him around the throat, wrapping an arm round his neck just as his dad had done.

Archfiend struggled, and kicked, but it was useless. Jake summed up all the anger of the last few days into a single, spine-tingling moment.

“
This is for Mum,
”
he said, and wrenched with all his might.

Archfiend
’
s neck broke with staggering force. His head rotated almost one hundred and eighty degrees on its axis. The move sucked up every last ounce of strength in Jake
’
s body. He put everything into it.

They both collapsed, Archfiend
’
s head twisted at an unnatural angle, staring back at Jake with lifeless eyes. As Jake came down on his rear, he finally let out a sigh.

It was over. The most powerful creature on earth was lying at his feet, dead. He had won. He sat in the crater, staring at the corpse for what felt like an eternity, completely spent.

“
Jake!
”
a voice cried.

It took an enormous effort, but he raised his head. Zoe was sliding down the wall of the crater, headed straight for him. There was disbelief plastered across her face. Behind her, Felix and Thorn appeared. They saw Jake sitting upright, alive, and they saw Archfiend
’
s motionless body. That was all they needed to see. Felix dropped to his knees and roared to the heavens. Thorn pumped a single fist in elation. Zoe continued her descent.

Jake closed his eyes and smiled.

Everything
’
s going to be okay.

With that thought, his brain flicked a switch and he sunk back into the earth. The ground seemed to swallow him up, envelope him in darkness. The battle had taken its toll. He slumped to the crater floor and gratefully lost consciousness.

It
’
s over,
a voice whispered.

Blinding white. A soft electronic beeping. The hush of a breeze coming through an open window.

Jake opened his eyes. His lids were stuck together, moulded by sleep. They took their time coming apart. Vision blurry, he studied his surroundings. He was in a hospital bed, positioned in the middle of a spacious, whitewashed room complete with shiny floors and walls that smelt of sterility. Sure enough, there was a small window built into the right wall. Jake looked out and saw the D.C. skyline, lit up in all its glory. It was dark outside.

“
Hi,
”
someone said softly.

Zoe was sitting in the chair by his bed. She looked agitated, but happy that he was awake. Her mouth was stretched into a broad grin. She jumped off her seat and took his face in both hands. He smiled.

“
Hey,
”
he whispered.
“
How long
…
?
”

“
Two days. The doctors told us you
’
d be coming round soon.
”

“
Are you okay?
”

“
I
’
m fine,
”
she said.
“
Well, I mean, as fine as I can be. But don
’
t worry about me. You
’
re the one everyone
’
s worrying about and
…
hey, guess what?
”

“
What?
”
Jake said, not taking the time to consider.

“
My dad
’
s out. They figured he was doing his country a service by transporting the
‘
slayer team
’
around. They
’
ve dropped all charges.
”

“
That
’
s great, Zoe,
”
Jake said, and reached up for the pillows. Zoe adjusted them until he was comfortable and planted a kiss on his cheek.
“
Where
’
s my dad?
”

“
Outside,
”
she said.
“
I can
’
t stay for too long. You have a visitor.
”

“
Can I speak to them later? I want to be with you.
”

Zoe laughed.
“
I
’
m not sure he
’
s the type of man you want to hold up.
”

Jake shrugged.
“
Bring him in, I guess.
”

With a quick squeeze of his hand, Zoe walked over to the door.

“
Zoe,
”
Jake said. She paused.
“
I love you.
”

A smile played across her lips.
“
I love you, too, Jake.
”

She opened the door and stepped out into the corridor. For the first time, Jake noticed an IV drip running into his forearm. He faintly heard a voice outside say,
“
he
’
s ready for you, sir
”
.

Jake figured the visitor was someone important. He propped himself up a little further in the bed.

In walked the President of the United States.

Jake
’
s heart leapt in his chest. It was a strange thing, seeing someone so famous in real life. He was shorter than Jake had expected.

“
Hey there, buddy,
”
he said.
“
I thought I
’
d come down and let you know how truly grateful we all are.
”

“
Thank you, sir,
”
Jake said, unsure of himself.

“
Don
’
t call me sir. I mean it. This is man-to-man talk. What you did saved us all. I
’
m amazed a sixteen-year-old could do something so heroic.
”

“
What happened after I passed out?
”

“
Your team did their best to finish off what slayers were left. There were stragglers that escaped, though. A few deaths, unfortunately. Two soldiers, three civilians. But we picked off the survivors fast enough. They seemed to lose hope after you killed their leader.
”

Jake hesitated.
“
Am I some kind of national hero now?
”

The President shook his head.
“
Your father wanted you out of the public
’
s eye. For good reason, I imagine. Every pair of eyes in the world is fixed on the news.
”

Jake sighed. He was partially relieved he wasn
’
t going to have to spend the rest of his life being interviewed.

“
So how
’
s the world dealing with the whole slayer thing?
”
he asked.

The President smiled.
“
It
’
s a lot to take on, I can assure you that. I
’
m still struggling to wrap my head around it myself.
”

“
I know how you feel. I was new when all this went down. Is everyone okay?
”

“
Your team is fine. David
’
s in a coma, but the doctors are assuring us it
’
s only a temporary thing.
”

Jake raised an eyebrow.
“
David?
”

“
I
’
m sorry
–
I heard you refer to the man as
…
Crank?
”

“
Huh,
”
Jake said, smiling a little.
“
David
–
who would have thought?
”

“
He
’
ll wake up soon. Losing a leg and pushing on isn
’
t good for your health. He
’
s out more from stress than anything else.
”

“
Is Dad here?
”

“
Right outside. I won
’
t hold up any more of your time, son.
”
The President walked over and clamped a hand down on Jake
’
s shoulder.
“
Thanks again, Jake.
”

Mark stepped in. The President passed him on the way out, and the two shook hands. They exchanged no words, but the President gave a cryptic nod of reassurance, and then he was gone.

“
You
’
re awake,
”
his dad said. He sat down on the edge of the bed, right where Zoe had.

“
I
’
m awake.
”

There was a pause.

“
Dad, is it over?
”
Jake asked.
“
Please tell me it
’
s over.
”

“
Archfiend
’
s dead, kid. You did what none of us could. His body
’
s locked up in a morgue somewhere. They
’
re going to burn it as soon as they
’
ve studied it.
”

“
Studied?
”
Jake queried.
“
You don
’
t think that
’
s a bad idea?
”

Mark shrugged.
“
Ya know, they
’
re going to do it, one way or another; find out what the virus is made up off. But they wouldn
’
t dare to create another slayer. Not after what just happened. The whole world is in panic mode. People from Russia to Afghanistan are checking under their beds for slayers.
”

“
How did you kill them all? That explosion
…
I
’
ve never seen anything like it.
”

“
That wasn
’
t us,
”
Mark said.
“
We were just as confused as you. All we did was abandon the plane and hope for the best. Iquitos called us yesterday. They forgot to inform us the cargo hold was loaded with hundreds of gallons of combustible fuel.
”

“
Bullcrap.
”

“
You heard of Longsilver International?
”

Jake nodded.
“
Big ass fuel company.
”

“
That was their private jet,
”
Mark explained.
“
They were experimenting with a prototype solution. Came to Iquitos to give a demonstration for the Peruvian military. For transport, and what not. Highly efficent, apparently. Evidently, highly flammable, too. They weren
’
t too happy we stole their plane and blew up their supply.
”

Another pause. Jake knew what he wanted to ask. He was just afraid of the answer.

“
Dad
…”
he started, but trailed off. Then he found the courage again.
“
How am I alive?
”

“
What do you mean?
”

“
You must have seen what happened. Archfiend threw me off a building. I shouldn
’
t be here, Dad. But I woke up. I kept fighting, and I did it with this strength, this power, that I
’
ve never felt before. I was superhuman. Archfiend ran, and I kept up with him. What
’
s going on?
”

Mark stared at him for a long time. A clock out in the corridor softly ticked away, omitting a dull click each second. He counted fifty before his dad responded.

“
Look, Jake,
”
Mark said.
“
Archfiend didn
’
t slash your mother
’
s throat.
”

“
What?
”

“
He bit her.
”

There was silence. Total, utter silence. Jake didn
’
t move a muscle. He was thinking. Putting a new puzzle together.

“
I
’
ve
…
I
’
ve got the virus in me?
”
he said in a quiet, shaky voice.

“
A fraction of it, kid,
”
his dad said through tears.
“
I honestly don
’
t know how bad it is. You
’
re an anomaly. Liz was turning when she gave birth to you. I couldn
’
t take her to the hospital. Not in the condition she was in. She would have killed one of the nurses. It was a home delivery. She was already half-slayer when you were born. I was forced to do
…
what no man should ever have to do.
”

“
Oh my god,
”
Jake said.
“
You killed her?
”

Mark nodded and squeezed his eyes shut. Twin droplets rolled down his cheeks.
“
I held it off for as long as I could, Jake. I could see the life draining from her eyes. She was pale. H-her teeth were rotting. When she tried to bite me, I knew there was no other alternative.
”

“
Jesus
…”

“
I wouldn
’
t wish it upon my worst enemy. That was when I turned to the gang. They took me in. I told them what happened. And we studied you. You had traces in your bloodstream.
”

Jake gasped out loud.
“
But I didn
’
t turn?
”